Heinrich stoll



(No Model.)

H. STOLL.

KNITTING MACHINE.

Patented Mar. 23, 1897.

WL'T'nesses tllrrn terns "rnNr much.

HEINRICH STOLL, OF REUTLIN GEN, GERMANY.

KNlTTlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 579,411, dated March 23, 1897.

Application filed January 18, 1896.

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HEINRICH STOLL, man ufacturer of knitting-machines, of Rcutlingen, Niirtemberg, Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements in Knitting-Ma chines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in knitting-machines The object of the present invention is to produce a peculiar lock arrangement for a knitting-m achine, for example, such as shown and described in United States Patent No. 523,820, granted Stoll and Maercklin, for the purpose of producing figured goods (consisting of rib meshes alternating with smooth meshes) by the aid of any jacquard apparatus mechanically and automatically.

It is well known that for the purpose of preventing the formation of rib meshes by all of the needles the needles which are designed to produce smooth instead of rib meshes must be withdrawn into the needle'bed so far as not to be grasped by the hooks of the needle jacks of the other needle-bed. This object I attain by causing all the needles to be retracted to a suitable extent by a special arrangement on the lock or cam mechanism for each complete stroke of the carriage during one movement of the carriage, and at the completion of the movement of the carriage in one direction to cause the needles serving for the formation of rib meshes to be again advanced by a jacquard apparatus to an extent sufficient to permit such needles to be grasped by the jacks of the opposite needlebed on the second movement of the carriage.

The retraction of all the needles forms the subject of my invention, and it is carried out automatically by a vertical adjustable lock portion arranged behind the usual lock.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a front elevation; Fig. 2, a side elevation, one of the jacks and its needle being shown at the right in the corresponding needle-bed J, the needle-bed and jack at the left not being shown; Fig. 3, a top plan, and Fig. 4 a bottom plan.

In the drawings it is assumed that the new lock arrangement is applied only to one (the front) side of the lock. Manifestly the same Serial No. 576,035. (No model.)

may be employed upon the other side of the lock.

As appears from Fig. 4., the cam device G G G remains unchanged upon the rear portion of the carriage, while that upon the front portion is provided with the new vertically adjustable cam portion E, and besides is modified as follows: Instead of the lock portion G two parts II and II are provided, of which the part H is fast to the carriage, while the other part, II, is adjustable in the well-known manner, just like G of the usual cam device. The cam portion E, arranged at the side of the cams H and H, serves to withdraw all the jacks K with the needles K into the one needle-bed J to an extent sufficient to prevent the forward hooked ends of the latter from being grasped by the advanced jacks of the other needle-bed.

The cam portion E is vertically adjustable, and in the movement of the carriage in that direction where the extra cam portion is in advance of the cam device the said extra cam portion E is automaticallylifted at the change of stroke, remaining thus lifted during the entire movement of the carriage, and descends automatically only after the completion of such movement, remaining in such lower position during the entire following return stroke of the carriage, when the extra cam portion E is in the rear of the cam device. By this action the retraction of all the needles is effected.

The vertical adjustment of the cam portion E is automatically effected at the change of stroke in the following manner: Upon the cam portion E is secured a stem 6, passing through the carriage A and provided with a cross-pin c on the upper side of the carriage. A spring e is arranged between the carriage A and the cam portion E, which spring tends constantly to depress the part E. For raising the cam portion E a wedge F, running to a point, is mounted so as to slide in the guidepiece B. The guidc piece B actuates the jacquard apparatus. This wedge on sliding passes under the cross-pin 6, raising the same, with the stem e and cam portion E, to a sufficient extent to enable the same to avoid striking the jack-heads, and hence to make it inoperative. This raising and lowering is cffeet-ed automatically by securing to the wedge F a stem f, passing through the carriage A, as shown at the right in Fig. 2, the said stem engaging a crank D, secured to a pivot passing through the carriage. The latter carries another crank O at the top, whose stud c at the end of the movement of the carriage in one direction strikes against a tappet mounted on the guide-rails of the knitting-machine in the usual manner, whereby the crank D is turned. At the end of the return stroke of the carriage the crank I) is then restored to its original position. In the one case the wedge F is inserted below 6 and E is lifted. In the other case the wedge is returned to its starting-point and E is lowered. When the cam portion E is not to be lowered, but to remain out of use, the stud c, which is held depressed in the crank C by means of a spring 0, is lifted, turned, and retained by the crosspin 6, resting against a projection on the crank O. A spring 01, (see Fig. 45,) adapted to engage one or the other of the two notches or rests I and II, serves to retain the crank D in the positions where E is raised or lowered.

The cam II H must consist of two parts, because without the fixed cam portion H a gap would be formed through which the projecting jack-heads might slip as soon as H is retracted, as indicated, for example, in Fig. 4. Hence the fixed cam portion II forms a bridge between the movable cam portion II and the new cam portion E. In order, however, to adapt the machine to the knitting of ordinary ribbed goods, the cam portion II must be adapted to be shoved forward sufficiently that, in conjunction with the fixed cam portion II, it may be employed just like the cam G which consists of one piece.

While I have particularly described my invcntion in connection with a machine whose needles are moved through the intervention of jacks, it is to be understood that my invention may be employed in connection with a machine where the needles are directly controlled by the cams and retracting mechanism without the intervention of jacks or their equivalents.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a knitting-machine, the combination,

with two needle-beds, of cam mechanism for each bed, a retracting mechanism for one bed, and mechanism for throwing out said retracting mechanism at the end of one stroke and for throwing it into action at the end of the other stroke.

2. In a knitting-machine, the combination, with two needle-beds, jacks for each needlebed, and needles operated by the jacks, of a jaek-operating cam mechanism for each set of jacks, a j ack-retracting mechanism for one set of jacks, and automatic mechanism for throwing said j ack-retractin g mechanism out of action at the end of one stroke and for throwing it into action at the end of the other stroke.

3. In a knitting-machine, the combination, with two needle-beds, of a cam mechanism for each bed, comprised of two parts, a retracting mechanism arranged laterally behind the two parts of one cam mechanism, and mechanism for raising said retracting mechanism at the end of one stroke of the machine and for loweringit at the end of the other stroke.

4. In a knitting-machine, the combination, with two needle-beds, jacks for each needlebed and needles operated by the jacks, of a jack-operating cam composed of two parts, a jack-retracting cam arranged laterally behind said two parts and automatic mechanism for raising said jack-retracting cam at the end of one stroke of the machine and for lowering it at the end of the other stroke.

5. In aknitting-maehine, the combination, with a vertically-movable cam, of a stem to which said cam is attached, a spring tending to hold the stem downward, a pin secured in said stem, a wedge arranged to enter beneath the pin, a pair of cranks connected to said wedge and fixed to each other, a stud, adj ustable in and out on one of the cranks, and a stop device against which the stud contacts, whereby the cam is raised at one end of the stroke, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HEINRICH STOLL.

\Vitnesses:

AUGUST B. DRAUTZ, CHRISTIAN RANGE. 

